Testimonials

By Jack E. Scott - Student - October 2002

I am a newcomer to Pilates. As a guy who has held a life-long aversion to most forms of physical activity, I was wary of the idea of exercising amid unusual equipment with names like "The Reformer" and the "Electric Chair." My wife, however, is wildly enthusiastic about Joseph Pilates' exercises, and has been an avid practitioner for nearly five years. She thought it would be a great way for me to cope with some recent back problems, strengthen my core, and increase my flexibility. Over the years we've been together, I've developed a healthy respect for her enthusiasms, and so, at her urging, I decided to take some lessons from an apprentice instructor - her!

When I first walked into Excel Studio one wintry Saturday, I saw perhaps a dozen men and women quietly and intently stretching, twisting, bending, reaching, and raising and lowering themselves in and out of various positions on several pieces of equipment. One group of about six or seven were taking a mat class, and the others were intently and single-mindedly moving through a series of rapidly changing positions. The room was relatively quiet and not at all like the usual over-amped health club ambiance I had come to heartily dislike. I changed into some gym clothes and met my wife for my own introduction to mat work, the "Basic Five" and the Reformer.

I quickly learned three lessons over the following days and weeks. First, what looked to me like a series of fairly simple movements was in fact quite a bit harder when I added "scooping" to the process. In fact, I soon discovered that my gut, while ample, was not very strong, and I struggled for several weeks with basic exercises like the Roll-up. I began doing the Basic Five at home as part of my usual morning regimen, and found that I was building some real strength in my abdominal muscles. Second, I found that doing Pilates on a regular basis helped my lower back.

Initially I noticed that I felt taller after my weekly session, and that my posture was beginning to improve. Or at least now, when I slouched in a chair at home, I quickly became aware of it and found that I was straightening up fairly automatically. In fact, I was feeling physically a lot better as a result of my Pilates work. I especially found that on those occasions toward the end of a long day when I had been sitting in my office or in my car for too long a time, Pilates helped me loosen up and relax. Finally, I noticed that I was looking forward to my weekly lessons. The combination of concentration of mind with precision of body movement appealed to me, as did the feeling of physical renewal I would get after completing a session.

I continue to take my weekly lesson and do my morning practice. The other day I found myself giving an enthusiastic explanation of Pilates to a recent acquaintance, and I realized that I have become a Pilates aficionado too!

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